


The Last Night in Kepler

by mezvii



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, M/M, Multi, but it's like lowkey, content warning: marijuana use, danbrey kiss scene because we deserve it in these trying times, it's cute, it's marvelous, just a bunch of guys being dudes, they all hang out and talk about their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23496418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mezvii/pseuds/mezvii
Summary: “What’re everyone’s plans from here?” Keith asked, staring darkly into the flames. “Now that . . . everything’s over. Now that it’s the end.”
Relationships: Dani/Aubrey Little, Jake Coolice/Hollis/Keith
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	The Last Night in Kepler

It was the last night in Kepler, and so of course they were haunting the lot in front of the Cryptonomica, being hooligans and nuisances and threats to society at their leisure. Jake brought five cans of pringles. Hollis brought weed, though Kirby was the one they’d bought it from. Aubrey made a small fire out of old neon green brochures and her own flames. She’d asked Kirby if it was okay as they watched the title  _ Bigfoot: the Mystery Revealed _ be eaten up by ash, and he said yeah.

“I’m going to be doing a bit of rebranding around here,” he said. “Same road, different tracks. And it’s kind of too late to ask now that you’ve already set them all on fire.”

Aubrey laughed. “Oh yeah. Probably should have done that first.”

Though the night air was warm, the breeze was chilly. They sat in a circle around the fire for warmth. Dani claimed she was freezing and sat in Aubrey’s lap. Aubrey did not complain.

“What’re everyone’s plans from here?” Keith asked, staring darkly into the flames. He was sandwiched between Jake and Hollis. Aubrey noted that even though he was almost sitting in their laps like Dani was in hers, his moody expression was determinedly set in stone. “Now that . . . everything’s over. Now that it’s the end.”

Aubrey sighed and rested her chin on the top of Dani’s head. Keith was right, this was the end. The last year had been full of so much craziness. And she still wasn’t used to everything being normal again. Earlier that day she’d caught herself thinking about what the next bom bom might be, something she’d gotten used to doing in the empty stretches between fights. (If she guessed in the right direction, she bought herself cake from Tarkesian’s. As the monsters had gotten stranger, she’d stopped being right, and made up other reasons to buy the cake.)

Dani had been really concerned when Aubrey said, “Hey, do you think the next bom bom will be some kind of lightning monster?”

Hollis tilted their head back until they were looking at the stars. “I wouldn’t say the end. We’ve still got our whole lives ahead of us.”

“I feel like that’s the biggest high we’ll ever have. Fighting monsters and saving the world? There’s nothing to top that.”

Jake snorted. “Nah, dude, we’ll find something even better. And we won’t be risking our necks. As much. We’ll still be risking our necks but it won’t be as dangerous. Hey Kirby toss me those pringles.”

Kirby rolled the tube in a perfect arc around the fire and it bounced into Jake’s foot. “I’m not going to waste pringles throwing them around like they’re worth nothing,” he said. “Respect the pringles, man.”

Jake muttered darkly as he popped the can open. Aubrey was sure she heard:  _ the pringles would want it. let them fly. _

Kirby sighed and lay back with his hands tucked behind his head. “Y’all know what I’m doing already. I’m going to take over this place, change it up some. Maybe it can become an information center or something. A place for humans and sylphs to learn about either side.”

“And what are you going to be, the docent?”

“ _ Yeah _ . It’s going to be  _ great _ . I can finally teach people the truth about this stuff I’ve believed in all along. And it’s going to be the actual truth, not just whatever some randos on the internet came up with.”

Dani opened one eye and her lips curved into a smile. “Hey, Kirby, did you know most sylphs can jump up to a height of twenty feet?”

“That’s bullshit. You’re bullshitting me right now. That’s so cruel.” He flicked a pringle at her. It bounced off Aubrey’s arm.

“I would never lie to you about something so important.”

Aubrey picked the chip off the floor and tossed it into the fire. “What happened to respecting the pringles?”

Kirby sighed, throwing up his hands. “Okay fine. What about you guys? What are you going to do on Sylvain?”

“Heal the land, bring life back to the uninhabitable places.” She peered down at Dani, whose head was resting against her collarbone. “We don’t really have a gameplan, do we, babe?”

“Mm, that’s alright. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out once we get there. We’ll show up, do some magic, badabing badaboom. Planet  _ restored _ .”

“You’re high,” Aubrey said, pressing a kiss to her golden hair.

“I’m a genius,” Dani corrected.

Jake nudged Keith and Hollis. “Hey, I was thinking we should do something similar over here.”

Hollis narrowed one kohl-smudged eye at him. “A little deficient in the life-giving magic department, buddy. Sorry.”

“But we could help clean up Mount Kepler. Tons of the trails are trashed after the Minister did her whole thing. And it would totally be worth it when winter rolls around and the resorts open back up.”

“I cannot believe you just called healing a dying planet with god powers and doing a little community service ‘ _ the same thing _ ’.” Hollis rolled their eyes and took a drag. “And we’re not really community service types.”

“Well. I mean,” Keith said, “stopping a war that would overwhelm the entire world did help the community out a lot.”

Aubrey couldn’t resist chiming in: “You seemed awful concerned about the community when you wanted to go monster hunting with your gang.”

“That was  _ bold _ . And  _ heroic _ . And  _ badass _ . It was not wandering around the woods with a reflective vest and a trash bag. There’s a difference.” They shrugged, exhaled. “Although, Jake is right. I can’t imagine taking a snowmobile up to the slopes with the state they’re in and all.”

“And the rest of the Hornets would probably like the idea of helping out,” prompted Jake.

“And if anyone doesn’t like the idea we can just vote them out,” said Keith.

Hollis gave them both a look that tried to say:  _ you’re both on thin fucking ice _ , but said something entirely different.

Kirby lay back and started tossing pringles into the air and catching them in his mouth. He was very good. Aubrey watched the motion for a minute, transfixed and wondering if he would teach her how to do it with that kind of accuracy.

A car rolled past on the deserted road and none of them paid it any attention until it came to a stop and the loud  _ whoop _ of a siren broke the night.

“Ah, shit,” said Hollis, jumping to their feet and kicking dirt over the fire.

“We’re not doing anything illegal,” Kirby said. “Chill.”

“Hey man. Think for a second. Think about what kind of person the Sheriff is. And now that the apocalypse or whatever is over he’s more uptight than ever.” They raised their eyebrows questioningly and Kirby sighed.

“Yeah, and Duck probably wouldn’t have been very happy about that fire,” Aubrey said, staring regretfully at the remains of the ashes under Hollis’ boots.

There was another warning  _ whoop _ from the siren and everyone scattered, Kirby going back into the Cryptonomica, Hollis and Keith taking off on their bikes, Jake’s arms wrapped around Keith’s waist. Dani and Aubrey slipped into a wide alley on the other side of the lot as Sheriff Owens pulled away from the curb and continued down the street.

“Way to break up the party,” Dani muttered, lacing their fingers together. Her hand felt cold in Aubrey’s grasp, but that might have been because most things felt cold to Aubrey.

“We were loitering and being threats to the public safety.” Aubrey paused in her tracks. “It was probably just the fire.”

“It was definitely the fire.”

“Okay, but you said you were cold. The fire was for you, babe.”

“I was very cold. Thanks for starting it. The sheriff just doesn’t understand what a beautiful and romantic gesture it was.”

“It was so beautiful wasn’t it.”

Dani laughed softly. She wrapped her arms around Aubrey’s waist and pressed their lips together, sighing as Aubrey stood on tiptoe to return the gesture. Under the moonlight Dani was pale and iced gold, the flush that usually colored her cheeks erased by the silver of the stars. She smiled against Aubrey’s lips, intoxicating.

“We’re going to call Barclay to bring the truck and pick us up, right?” she murmured.

“Yeah,” said Aubrey. “In a minute.”

**Author's Note:**

> okay i hope y'all enjoyed. i'm trying to get better at writing fanfic so if anyone has any comments please lmk i welcome it with open arms.
> 
> this was kinda inspired by the time my friends and i hung out in an empty parking lot in vienna until midnight and someone spilled my pringles everywhere


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